Peer to Peer Magazine

PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 20 BEST PRACTICES WASTE Process mapping allows you to gain a true picture of the current state of a process, and it includes identifying two elements in a process: Those that add value Those that add no value LSS identifies those efforts that do not have value as "waste," which costs time, money or resources. In the "analyze" phase of an LSS project, you can identify the root causes of your problem by examining waste from data collected from process mapping. Waste in a business process can appear as: • Under- and over-communicating • Idle time, delays, waiting • Rework • Incorrect documentation • Tasks mismatched with skillsets LSS seeks to remove any activity from the process that does not add value for the customer and improve performance by systematically removing waste. METRICS Data collection, measurement and metrics are very important in each phase of an LSS project. They are used to pinpoint sources of waste, variability or customer dissatisfaction. Data and metrics give you important baseline information and can isolate the root cause of a broken process. Identifying the greatest areas for improvement leads to a path to take in the "improve" phase. In a project for evaluating legal secretarial support, for example, it would be important to collect data on what tasks attorneys want and expect their secretaries to focus on, and tasks attorneys feel are not being managed adequately. Collecting data on how much time secretaries spend on various tasks could provide information on the current state of the support process and identify waste. LEAN SIX SIGMA WITHIN A LAW FIRM Process improvement can begin with any practice area or process where there is a strategic initiative to deliver greater quality supported by operational excellence. Some examples of process improvement in law firms driven by LSS are billing and invoicing (including AFAs), paper reduction and legal secretarial support. LSS requires training and guidance to be implemented properly. Some firms have invested in certifying staff and some have fully integrated Lean Six Sigma into their culture. Others hire LSS-certified consultants to manage a specific project. Although it takes commitment and resources, law firms that adopt an LSS strategy are poised to excel in today's highly competitive environment. A Lean Six Sigma Glossary Lean: A method of streamlining a process within an organization by increasing the speed and effectiveness of a task. Focused on operational excellence, Lean measures how well a process is performing relative to customer requirements. Six Sigma: A data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating process defects. Process Improvement: The proactive, continuous practice of identifying, analyzing and improving existing business processes for optimization and to achieve new standards of quality. DMAIC: An acronym for define, measure, analyze, improve, control, DMAIC is a tool to improve organizational processes and produce quantifiable business outcomes by utilizing data analysis rather than guesswork. Voice of the Customer: Used to determine stated and unstated needs or requirements of the customer. Process Mapping: The creation of a workflow diagram of the current state of a single process or parallel processes to gain a clear understanding of all the steps or tasks involved and what inputs/outputs are critical to the process. Waste: Efforts within a process that add no value.

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